Will 1 deep with mediums above work ie will bees winter in the deep without a med below. All opinions welcome.

04-25-2013, 01:01 AM

beepro

Re: Checkerboarding without pollen box ????

Of course it will work. I overwinter one frame of worker bees in a medium. Though I have to baby
sit them all winter long with a small heat pad. We don't have snow here only frosts in the coldest winter months.
Maybe you can reverse the box like summer time a deep and a medium on top then in winter time
a medium and a deep on top. A deep on top so they can have access to more foods and room for bigger
cluster. How's your weather like in the winter time? Does it snows there too? If snowing then I would overwinter
with 2 deeps and a medium with the medium on top for the honey box. What ever you do as long as they stay
warm and dry with access to foods they should be fine. That is why preparation before the winter weather is so important for their survival.
You can try with a strong deep hive full of bees. No diseases or mites. Then supplement feed with patty, dry sugar and plenty of honey.
Protect them from the snows too. Yes, it will work if you plan ahead of time. See this overwinter hive with 4" thick pink foam all over it. Only
a small entrance to let them went inside the hive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sQj8h2m3w

04-25-2013, 02:28 AM

WWW

Re: Checkerboarding without pollen box ????

In your location bees will winter fine with a medium above a deep, around my part of the country this is called a "hive and a half". I use 2 deeps myself to insure that the bees will have enough to winter through and have enough food and space for brood rearing in early spring as well.

04-25-2013, 07:40 AM

hilreal

Re: Checkerboarding without pollen box ????

No probelm. I overwintered bees this winter in a 5 frame nuc box outside and a single deep. I find that a deep and 2 meds work well in a M-D-M arrangement. In the spring if needed I just rotate the 2 mediums.

04-25-2013, 10:26 AM

wcubed

Re: Checkerboarding without pollen box ????

The pollen box maneuver was added after several years of successful CBing. So, the answer is most of the time. At the risk of getting into a flap with the all-medium gang, sometimes the brood nest fails to recede to the bottom when mediums are used in the broodnest.

Walt

04-25-2013, 10:43 AM

squarepeg

Re: Checkerboarding without pollen box ????

overwintering in a single deep and one medium of honey above works good here in northeast al. i did end up having to shuffle some honey from the heavier hives to the lighter ones because of the protracted winter this year.

having the medium (or shallow) on the bottom for pollen gives you the empty comb needed to bring up and checkerboard with the honey in the top box before the first flows start in late winter. plus it is a safe place for it to be as you don't worry about having to store it.